The original owner had long, straight black hair that cascaded down to her waist.
Unfortunately, the hair quality was quite average, as if it had not been properly cared for. The split ends looked extremely frizzy.
It really affected the overall look.
Jiang Xin had a bit of OCD, and seeing that pile of split ends made her uncomfortable.
Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly had a brainwave. She ran to her space and took out a pair of scissors specifically for hair cutting.
Long hair was hard to manage, so why not just trim it a little?
A fresh start, what a wonderful meaning!
Jiang Xin thought for a while in front of the mirror, considering what hairstyle she should choose.
Though she hadn't studied hairdressing, she still had basic aesthetic sense.
After thinking for a while, she designed a medium-length hairstyle that was a bit more practical, according to the original owner's face shape.
With a rough outline in mind, Jiang Xin started cutting in front of the mirror.
In those times, especially in the countryside, people generally wore their hair in two braids, or had neat, short hair cut to the ear.
If there was anything particularly trendy, it might be getting a perm at the salon, but most country folk were unwilling to spend that money.
After all, earning money wasn't easy back then, and the price of a perm in a hair salon wasn't cheap either.
For them, it was more practical to take the money for a perm and buy two pounds of pork at the market to improve the family's meals.
That was much more worthwhile!
So, the clothing and fashion in this village were exceptionally simple and plain.
Clothes were patched up if torn, hair was cut short if it grew long, since it was going to be tied up anyway, the shape didn't really matter.
Over time, young girls or housewives in the village stopped bothering to dress up.
Occasionally, if there was a happy event in a family, someone might go to the salon for a perm, only to be gossiped about by the village's long-tongued women, saying it was making a fool of oneself.
When the original owner first came to the village, she was dressed very fashionably, having come from the provincial city, and her family was wealthy.
The original owner's parents never let her lack materially; the dresses she wore were the latest from the Department Store.
Her long hair was tied up and accentuated with a crystal hairpin bought from the foreign goods store, looking fashionable and beautiful.
So back then, in the village, the original owner was the subject of a lot of jealousy.
The girls of her age from the village envied her looks and her family background, so they frequently isolated her, even bullying her openly.
During that period, the original owner felt particularly out of place.
She didn't know that it was actually Jiang Wan who was stirring trouble behind the scenes.
If that hadn't been the case, with such a doll-like girl in the village, everyone would have been eager to befriend her.
To quickly fit in, the original owner started to adapt to the local customs, ceased to dress up, dressed more conservatively, and abandoned the hairpins and new skirts. Her silk-like hair was left unattended, allowing it to grow wildly.
Unfortunately, even in the end, Jiang Wan didn't let her go.
Reflecting on these memories, Jiang Xin thought, if she had come over earlier, she would definitely have told the original owner:
If you cannot fit into a circle, don't force it.
In the end, it is only you who will suffer.
Living comfortably is the most important thing.
While recalling the original owner's memories, Jiang Xin had nearly finished cutting her hair.
The hair that originally reached down to her waist was now cut to almost half its length, and Jiang Xin also gave herself some bangs.
With her big, round eyes, she looked adorably cute.
Her facial features were gentler, softened by the bangs.
Jiang Xin tidied up the cut hair and ran to the wardrobe to look for the new clothes the original owner had tucked away.
After selecting for a while, Jiang Xin finally chose a red-and-white plaid dress, paired it with a cardigan over it.
Then, she dug out a nearly new pair of white canvas shoes from the bottom of the cabinet, which seemed like the original owner hadn't worn them much.
After changing her clothes, Jiang Xin twirled in front of the mirror. Seeing herself no longer looking dull, she felt immense joy.
She examined herself closely and still felt something was missing.
She went to the original owner's jewelry box, picked out a red diamond hairpin in the same color scheme, and clipped it onto her hair.
Jiang Xin thought, wasn't Jiang Wan and her cohorts jealous of the original owner's new clothes and new hairpins?
Then every day she would wear a different new outfit and new hairpin, parading in front of them to enrage them, hitting them right where it hurt!
The thought of it was extremely satisfying!
After tidying everything up, Jiang Xin prepared to set out and placed the original owner's savings into her space.
For now, she was still relatively unfamiliar with this world, and as a girl carrying such a large sum of money, it really wasn't very safe.
So she decided to store it in the space where no one could take it, which also eased her worries.
Moreover, it was more convenient to withdraw when needed compared to carrying it around.
Jiang Xin grabbed her bag and pushed open the door.
She had just taken two steps, hadn't even reached the courtyard, when she heard Mrs. Fu's exclamation.
Jiang Xin looked up, perhaps the door creaked loudly when she pushed it open, catching the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Fu.
Additionally, the two had always been mindful of the situation inside the house.
Upon hearing her open the door, it was natural for their gaze to shift to her.
Seeing the dumbfounded expressions of Mr. and Mrs. Fu, Jiang Xin felt a little speechless.
Was there a need to be so shocked?
She had merely cut her hair, it wasn't like she had gotten plastic surgery to change her face, surely they could still recognize her?
Mrs. Fu, upon seeing Jiang Xin come out from the room, was originally planning to see what trick she was up to.
But a glance frightened her.
Was this the same sloppy daughter-in-law?
She looked like a completely different person.
Mrs. Fu, upon seeing Jiang Xin's new hairstyle, was instantly struck by its beauty.
Despite her dislike for Jiang Xin, she had to admit that Jiang Xin was a thousand times prettier than Jiang Wan.
Especially with the new haircut, it suited her perfectly.
Mrs. Fu was so stunned by her beauty that she momentarily forgot to speak.
It wasn't until Jiang Xin was about to leave the courtyard that Mrs. Fu came back to her senses, seeing her with a bag, looking as if she was going on a long journey, hurriedly called out to her:
"Hey, Jiang Xin, stop right there!"
"Where are you going?"
"Don't forget you're a married woman, Fu Yu isn't home. If you want to go out, shouldn't you at least inform me?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xin stopped, turned to look at Mrs. Fu:
"I'm going to the town for a matter."
"No one said that after getting married, one couldn't go out, right?"